Utahraptor
Utahraptor oweni
Pronounced:
U - taw - Rap - tor
Diet:
Carnivore (Meat-Eater)
Name Means:
"Utah Robber"
Length:
23 feet (7 m)
Height: 8
feet (2.7 m)
Weight: 1
tons (900 kilos)
Time:
Cretaceous
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in
Western United States
When the movie "Jurassic Park" was
released, dinosaur fans everywhere
complained that director Steven Spielberg
had made his movie
Velociraptor much larger than they
were in real life. In the midst of this
controversy, Dr. James Kirkland and
paleontology student Rob Gaston unearthed
the real-life giant raptor that was shown in
the movie - only bigger! Utahraptor was
huge, and with its big killing claws, strong
arms and hands, and sharp teeth, it was one
of the most ferocious killers on the planet.
One of the most unique aspects that
Utahraptor shares with its more famous
cousin
Velociraptor is that both had a
lethal killing claw on each foot. Each
inside toe had a large (about 10 inches)
hooked claw that was controlled by a strong
tendon. This claw was held upward when the
animal was walking or running. When it
attacked, however, the tendon snapped tight
and the claw clamped down with great speed
and force, slicing deeply into its victim.
Not a very pretty picture, but an effective
way to inflict a serious wound.
Utahraptor is the oldest known, and
largest, of the dromaeosaurids. This is
interesting as it points to a family that
shrunk over time. Its hand claws were
proportionally larger than other family
members and Dr. Kirkland speculates that its
hand claws were probably as important a
weapon as the killing claws on its feet.
Utahraptor is the subject of a best-selling
book by Dr. Robert Bakker. Entitled "Raptor
Red," it is currently being developed into a
motion picture. |
